Expressive and passionate playing of French repertoire from Miriam Davis & Michael Bulychev-Okser in 'Ode to Lost Time'

Violinist Miriam Davis and pianist Michael Bulychev-Okser have recorded a beautiful selection of French music under the title Ode to Lost Time, a reference of course to Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, and its fictional composer, Vinteuil, and perhaps the musical influences on Proust. They open with Eugène Ysaÿe’s (1858-1931) Poème Élégiaque in D minor, Op. 12. This is a highly Romantic and expressive piece, written in 1892-3, and its scordatura (the G string is tuned down to F) adds an additional rich depth to the sound. Davis’ tone is immediately open and forward, matched well by expressive playing from Bulychev-Okser, and they capture the turbulent lyricism and unrest well here. 

 

César Franck (1822-1890) was a favourite of Proust, and the story goes that he turned up at violinist Gaston Poulet’s house at midnight, demanding to hear Franck’s String Quartet. They gathered the rest of the quartet in a taxi, and they performed the Franck for Proust in his bedroom, when Proust then immediately asked to hear it all again. Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major was a wedding present for Ysaÿe, and moves from a sunny opening Allegretto ben moderato into a highly turbulent Allegro molto second movement. Here the piano opens with rapidly virtuosic forward propulsion, played here with exemplary drive by Bulychev-Okser, and Davis responds with equal energy. In contrast, the Recitativo-Fantasia third movement has frequent sections for unaccompanied violin, full of sadness and nostalgia. Sunlight returns with the Finale, however, with its canonic lines ringing out. Here Davis and Bulychev-Okser achieve just the right balance to make their echoing lines sing equally, making this a strong performance of Franck’s evergreen masterpiece. 

 

Claude Debussy’s (1862-1918) Violin Sonata in G minor, L140 dates from 1917, the year before he died, and was his last work, the third of an unfinished proposed cycle of sonatas for different instruments, the other two completed ones being for cello and piano (L135), and flute, viola and harp (L137). The Violin Sonata was premiered by Gaston Poulet and Debussy himself. Davis gives the opening Allegro vivo a particular sultriness here, and the central Intermède, with its frequent changes of pace, has a playful spirit. Bulychev-Okser opens the Finale with bright energy, and Davis immediately responds with Debussy’s virtuosic flourishes dashed off effortlessly. Again, there is a sultriness in the central louche waltz, before virtuosic energy from both drive to a blazing finish. 

 

They end their disc with Ernest Chausson’s (1855-1899) rhapsodic Poème, Op. 25, full of sadness and longing, and written for Ysaÿe, who was involved at the composition stage, no doubt influencing its double-stopping passages and virtuosic display. Davis again demonstrates strong control of the virtuosic demands here, and she and Bulychev-Okser give a fine performance, bringing their programme to a more introspective, sombre conclusion. The pair bring out well the contrasts between these works here in highly expressive and passionate readings, making this release worthy of strong recommendation. 

Various. 2024. Ode to Lost Time. Miriam Davis, Michael Bulychev-Okser. Compact Disc. Convivium Records CR091.

Delightful performances from David de Winter and The Brook Street Band in 'Schütz: A German in Venice'

Tenor David de Winter and The Brook Street Band released their album, Schütz: A German in Venice in April, and it has received well-deserved acclaim for its imaginative programme but also for their stylish performances. German composer Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) studied with Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice in his twenties, and then returned to Venice for some time in the late 1620s. So de Winter has put together a programme here of some of Schütz’s sacred solo chamber works, alongside works by Venetian composers of the day, highlighting the Italian influences on Schütz’s work, at the cusp of the late Renaissance and into the high Baroque. Schütz’s works here all date from after his return to Germany, but it is clear that his time with Gabrieli, and presumably alongside these eminent Italian composers in Venice (there are suggestions that he met Monteverdi, although there is little actual evidence to confirm this) had a profound influence on his music. So there is music by Monterverdi here, as well as Cavalli, Grandi, Rossi and Sances. 

 

The disc opens with Schütz’s Lobet den Herrn, SWV 350, from his Symphoniae sacrae II, Op. 10, and it sets the scene well, with de Winter’s bright, clear tone delivering Schütz’s bouncing, straightforwardly communicative style with elegance, and The Brook Street Band matching this with energy and charm. Monteverdi follows, with Confitebor tibi Domine, SV 193 from his Messa a quattro voci et salmi concertati. In contrast to the sprightly opener, this begins with solemn strings, before the recorders then join for a livelier tempo. De Winter’s flowing lines, with frequent changes in tempo and mood are again complimented by graceful playing from the band. Of the seven other Schütz works here, there is great variety, from the mysterious, chromatic O süßer, O freundlicher, SWV 285, and the dancing Exultavit cor meum, SWV 258 to the swinging triple time Ich werde nicht sterben, SWV 346 and the more operatically virtuosic Cantabo Domino in vita mea, SWV 260, with its lengthy Alleluia. Throughout all, de Winter demonstrates his range, with complex decoration and virtuosic flourishes, as well as highly expressive and tender singing. The rising Amen at the end of the Monteverdi is simply beautiful, and leads so well into the mysterious opening of Schütz’s O Süßer, O freundlicher.

 

The Brook Street Band give us two playful trio sonatas from Salamone Rossi (1570-1630), the Sontata sopra l’aria di Ruggiero, with its dancing, intertwining violins playing tag, and the Sonata ottava sopra l’aria è tanto tempo hormai, with more chattering, shimmering violins and stately bass from cello and organ. Giovanni Felice Sances’ (1600-1679) sombre Stabat Mater, the longest piece on the disc, sits at the centre, with its darkly lugubrious tone and falling bass line, and highly expressive text-setting. De Winter relishes the tremulous ‘tremebat’, as well as a beautifully smooth melisma on the final syllable of ‘complaceam’. This is a real gem, and the pared back accompaniment gently supports de Winter’s expressive range, right to the highly decorative Amen to finish. Alessandro Grandi’s (1586-1630) Lauda Sion Salvatorem opens with mournful tenor recorders, contrasting de Winter’s bright, forwardly projected text, and his Decantabat populus Israel is full of virtuosic display and dancing Alleluias. And Francesco Cavalli’s (1602-1676) O quam suavis es is beautifully intimate, with de Winter again giving expressive, lyrical lines against the delicate lute, before the cello and organ join, and de Winter’s prayerful leap up on filium at the very end is effortless.

 

Schütz’s Ich danke dir Herr, SWV 347 ends the disc, with its triple time, lilting dance and increasing virtuosity from the full ensemble bringing things to a suitably celebratory finish. Aside from the fascinating insights into this repertoire (with excellent notes from de Winter), this is a beautifully constructed and varied programme, with delightful performances throughout. 

Various. 2024. Schütz: A German in Venice. David de Winter, The Brook Street Band. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR145.

Impressive visuals and performances lift a confusing operatic take on The Tempest

Brett Polegato (Prospero)
© Marc Brenner

George Jackson (Conductor)

Sir David Pountney (Director)

David Haneke (Video Designer)

April Dalton (Costume Designer)

Seeta Patel (Movement)

Tim Mitchell (Lighting Design)

The Gascoigne Orchestra 

Robert Salter (Leader)

Philip White (Chorus Master)

Hugh Cutting (Ariel) & Brett Polegato (Prospero)
© Marc Brenner

Brett Polegato (Prospero)

Ffion Edwards (Miranda)

Hugh Cutting (Ariel)

Andreas Jankowitsch (Caliban)

William Dazeley (Alonso)

Luis Gomes (Ferdinand)

Henry Grant Kerswell (Sebastian)

Philip Clieve (Antonio)

Harry Nicoll (Gonzalo)

Adrian Thompson (Trinculo)

Richard Stuart (Stephano)

Roseanna Bell, Edward Stevens, Nicholas Tredea, Harriet Waghorn (dancers)

5.45pm, Thursday 11 July 2024

Grange Park Opera, Surrey

★★★

Anthony Bolton (b.1950): Island of Dreams, 

based on William Shakespeare (1564-1616): The Tempest

(libretto abridged by Robert Hamilton & Anthony Bolton)

Richard Stuart (Stephano) & Andreas Jankowitsch (Caliban)
© Marc Brenner

'Visually impressive, (David Haneke's video projections) conjure up a variety of settings, from Prospero’s steampunk, Tardis-like control room ... to a post-apocalyptic wasteland and a deserted fairground en route'.

'Some of Bolton's strongest music is given to Prospero, which was delivered with power and impressive energy by Brett Polegato'.

'Hugh Cutting was engaging as the sprightly Ariel, energetically flitting about, sprinkling magic and mischief, sounding clear as a bell. Ffion Edwards’ Miranda was also bright, crystal clear and dramatically convincing, with Luis Gomes as Ferdinand blending well in their moments together'.

Ffion Edwards (Miranda) & Luis Gomes (Ferdinand)
© Marc Brenner

'George Jackson conducted the Gascoigne Orchestra with tight precision throughout, and Act 2’s orchestral ‘magic carpet’ interlude gave the Gascoigne Orchestra a chance to shine'. 

'Moments of musical drama in Act 2, visually impressive projections and the fine singing and playing of this challenging score are to be commended, but greater coherence stylistically, musically and dramatically would make more sense of Shakespeare's densely complex original material'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra celebrate their 100th birthday with an exciting new 2024-25 season

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra have launched a typically ambitious and exciting 100^th season, building up to their official centenary in 2025. With Joanna MacGregor at the helm, the orchestra will also hopefully be building further on the strides they’ve made in the last few years both in terms of expanded repertoire and drawing in new audiences. Remarkably, MacGregor is only the fourth Music Director/Conductor of the orchestra, which began in 1925 as The Symphonic String Players, then became the Southern Philharmonic, before taking their current name in 1958. Their founder Herbert Menges conducted the orchestra for 47 years, followed by John Carewe and then Barry Wordsworth, before MacGregor took the baton in 2019.

 

Jess Gillan
© Robin Clewley

What’s on offer in this season? Well, there are some big-name classical music stars, including saxophonist Jess Gillam, percussionist Evelyn Glennie and conductor/percussionist Colin Currie, and conductors Sian Edwards and Geoffrey Paterson from recent seasons also return. But it is the ambition of the repertoire that stands out. Two giants bookend the season, with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring to open and Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla Symphony to end as the BPO’s Centenary Gala concert in April.

 

Ruby Hughes

So, in a little more detail, alongside The Rite of Spring, Dutch pianist Aidan Mikdad will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the season’s opening concert (2.45pm, Sunday 22 September, Brighton Dome), with MacGregor at the podium. Then Alpesh Chauhan conducts what promises to be a great programme, with Jess Gillam performing Glazunov’s Concerto for Saxophone, and soprano Ruby Hughes joining the orchestra for Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Ruby Hughes sang some Britten and Weill songs with Joanna MacGregor at the BPO season launch, and I look forward to hearing her pure, bright soprano voice in the soaring lines of the Górecki (2.45pm, Sunday 13 October, Brighton Dome).

 

Joanna MacGregor
© Pal Hansen

In November, the Brighton Philharmonic Strings move over to the Corn Exchange and take up the Saturday night slot, which has proved successful in recent years, particularly bringing in different audiences. In a film inspired programme, The Madness/Lightness of Being, they will perform music by Hermann, Schnittke and Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Silent Music for Strings. Joanna MacGregor conducts, plays piano and the concert also includes her arrangements of music by Piazzolla, including Oblivion and Libertango (7.30pm, Saturday 16 November, Brighton Corn Exchange).

 

Dame Evelyn Glennie
© Philip Rathmer/Brigitte

December brings Dame Evelyn Glennie, to perform James MacMillan’s Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, and conductor Geoffrey Paterson conducts the orchestra in Peter Maxwell’s glorious An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise (complete with bagpiper!) and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade (2.45pm, Sunday 1 December, Brighton Dome). The BPO Brass Quintet will also perform alongside MacGregor in their popular version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Williams. They are joined by Alistair McGowan as narrator, following his performance of The Soldier’s Tale with the orchestra last year (6pm & 8pm, Saturday 14 December, St George’s, Kemptown). 

 

Gwilym Simcock

To welcome in 2025, the orchestra are joined by the Gwilym Simcock Trio for Blue Notes, a jazz-infused programme of music by Duke Ellington and Wayne Shorter, as well as music by Gwilym Simcock and a solo set from the trio (7.30pm, Saturday 25 January, Brighton Dome). Then conductor Ben Gernon conducts Elgar’s Enigma Variations, followed by Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, with the Brighton Festival Chorus and baritone Cody Quattlebaum (2.45pm, Sunday 9 February, Brighton Dome).

 

Colin Currie
© Andy Catlin

Another highlight of the season promises to be a celebration of the music of Steve Reich, culminating in his Reich/Richter, a shining, vibrant piece written to accompany Gerhard Richter’s abstract film Moving Picture (946-3). There is also music from Terry Riley, Yoko Ono, Lou Harrison and John Cage. Colin Currie conducts, and also plays claves (tuned wooden sticks) in Reich’s iconic and mesmerising Music for Pieces of Wood (7.30pm, Sunday 23 March, Brighton Dome). 

Sian Edwards

And then for that final Centenary Gala. Messaien’s Turangalîla Symphony is truly mammoth, requiring a huge orchestra, and encompasses so many influences in its epic exploration of love, life and death, including birdsong, gamelan and the other-worldly ondes martenot, played by Cynthia Millar. There’s also a demanding solo piano part, which Joanna MacGregor will perform, with Sian Edwards conducting (2.45pm, Sunday 13 April, Brighton Dome). Messiaen described the work as ‘a love song: a hymn to joy’ – a suitably joyful way, then, for the BPO to celebrate 100 years of music making in Brighton.

 

Tickets on sale now, and check out their LoveMusic scheme, with late release of best available seats, and £1 tickets for children and teenagers. Details on the BPO website here, tickets sold through Brighton Dome here.

 

 

Strong performances avoid Gloger's Così being buried by its own cleverness

Golda Schultz (Fiordiligi)
© ROH/Clive Barda

Jan Philipp Gloger (Director)
Oliver Platt (Revival Director)

Ben Baur (Set Designer)

Karin Jud (Costume Designer)

Bernd Purkrabek (Lighting Designer)

Katharina John (Dramaturg)

Alexander Soddy (Conductor)

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sergey Levitin (Concert Master)

Royal Opera Chorus

William Spaulding (Chorus Director)

Jennifer France (Despina) and ensemble
© ROH/Clive Barda

Daniel Behle (Ferrando)

Andrè Schuen (Guglielmo)

Gerald Finley (Don Alfonso)

Golda Schultz (Fiordiligi)

Samantha Hankey (Dorabella)

Jennifer France (Despina)

Aquira Bailey-Browne, Lucy Brenchley, Chris Edgerley, Jamie Francis, John Kamau, Douglas Santillo, Josh Thompson (Actors)

Andrè Schuen, Golda Schultz, Gerald Finley,
Daniel Behle & Samantha Hankey
© ROH/Clive Barda

7pm, Wednesday 26 June 2024

Royal Opera House, London

★★★

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti, K588

(libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838))

'The frequent set changes bring constant interest, with clever use of different levels of staging, and strong singing and acting performances from all make this great fun, if one lets go of it all making a great deal of sense'. 

'Golda Schultz was the clear standout here, negotiating effortlessly Fiordiligi’s extensive vocal demands, particularly in ‘Come scoglio’, with its range of over two octaves and massive leaps'.

Andrè Schuen (Guglielmo) & Samatha Hankey (Donatella)
© ROH/Clive Barda

'Daniel Behle displayed a beautifully lyrical tone, and played the less bombastic of the two men convincingly. In “Un’aura amorosa” he demonstrated incredibly delicate control at the top, as well as delivering a powerful sound when required.'.

'Jennifer France’s Despina was full of fun, with great comedic timing and clowning as the disguised doctor and notary, and was highly nimble vocally, with some cracking top notes too'.

'The Royal Opera Chorus were on fine form, with some subtly raunchy partner-swapping in the background, as well as delivering their pithy choruses. Alexander Soddy conducted with pace and precision, and there was some particularly fine horn and woodwind playing'.

Gerald Finley (Don Aldonso) & the Royal Opera Chorus
© ROH/Clive Barda 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Wihan Quartet dedicates Wigmore Hall Concert to Cavatina Chamber Music Trust founder Simon Majaro to celebrate his 95th birthday

The Wihan Quartet
© Petra Hajska

The Wihan Quartet is dedicating its concert on 24 June at London’s Wigmore Hall to Simon Majaro, the London-based philanthropist and founder of the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, who celebrates his 95th birthday the following day. It performs works by Smetana, Janáček, and Dvořák, showcasing the deep Czech musical heritage that has defined its career. 

The Wihan Quartet met Simon Majaro and his late wife, Pamela, after their triumphant win at the 1991 London International String Quartet Competition. Hugely impressed, the Majaros have supported and championed the Quartet since then, earning them the endearing title, ‘Our English Parents’ from the Quartet’s members.
In 1998, the Majaros founded the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust which enriches the lives of young people by providing opportunities to experience live chamber music through schools concerts and a special ticketing scheme which provides free tickets to young people (aged 5-25) in more than 50 partner venues across the country. Simon Majaro received an MBE for voluntary services to the Trust in 2011.
Following a distinguished academic career in the Business field, Simon Majaro published an acclaimed memoir 'Jerusalem’s Doctor of the Poor' and his debut novel 'Who is Mr. Poliakoff?'. He also fulfilled a long-term ambition to become a luthier (stringed-instrument maker). His instruments have been used by many professional musicians, including the Wihan Quartet, who performed with them at Wigmore Hall during the COVID-19 pandemic, having travelled to the UK without their own instruments.

The concert also marks the ‘Year of Czech Music 2024’, whose personalities have been commemorated every ten years since 1924, and, specifically, the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth.  “In music is the life of the Czechs” declared Smetana at the laying of the foundation stone of Prague’s National Theatre.
The day before its Wigmore Hall evening concert, the Wihan Quartet performs an all-Haydn programme at one of Wigmore Hall’s popular Sunday Morning concerts, at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday 23 June.

Wihan Quartet:
Leoš Čepický (violin)
Jan Schulmeister (violin)
Jakub Čepický (viola)
Michal Kaňka (cello) 

Sunday 23 June 2024 11:30am - https://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/202406231130

Haydn String Quartet in C Op. 76 No. 3 'The Emperor'
Haydn String Quartet in D Op. 64 No. 5 'The Lark' 

Monday 24 June 2024 7:30pm - https://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/202406241930

Smetana String Quartet No. 2 in D minor
Dvořák String Quartet in F Op. 96 'American'
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 'Intimate Letters'

(Press release from Tashmina Artists)

Interview with Simon Majaro from 2017 on Bachtrack here.

Evocative Beamish and commanding Prokofiev from Noseda and the LSO

Sally Beamish, Martin Fröst, Janine Jansen & Gianandrea Noseda
© Mark Allan

Janine Jansen (violin)

Martin Fröst (clarinet)

London Symphony Orchestra

Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)

7pm, Thursday 20 June 2024

Barbican Hall, London

★★★★

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Overture: Leonore No. 3, Op. 72b

Sally Beamish (b.1956): Distans: Double Concerto for Violin & Clarinet

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

Martin Fröst, Janine Janse & Gianandrea Noseda
© Mark Allan

Beethoven:

'Lively woodwind and precise skittering strings demonstrated the LSO’s expert ensemble'.

Beamish:

'Following more virtuosic skirmishes from the highly mobile and animated soloists, and droning strings evoking the nyckelharpa, complex, jerky rhythms abounded, with Noseda keeping a tight rein'. 

'The highly expansive second movement conjured up open landscape, distance and longing, with birdlike flourishes from the soloists and bell-like percussion'.

Gianandrea Noseda conducts the LSO
© Mark Allan

Prokofiev:

'Noseda had a strong command throughout here, and from the opening angular violin theme, with cellos responding in kind, through to woodwind solos in the third movement’s relentless melodic line, orchestral precision was impressive'.

'... an emphatically commanding performance from Noseda and the LSO to end a highly engaging concert'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.